Air pollution, noise, traffic jams, too few green spaces – these are the problems that plague many people living in cities. In a new publication UBA paints a picture of how the future-fit city might look. read more
Future-fit city: Much more money needed for buses and trains
Land take: Make goals binding
An area of 66 hectares of new land is consumed every day in Germany, with severe negative effects on the environment. UBA recommends a fixed quota regime for land and a certificate trading system. read more
Climate footprint 2016: Transport sector and cool weather cause spike in emissions
Nearly 4 million tons more greenhouse gases emissions than in 2015 – transport sector tops 1990 levels read more
Deep sea mining: Germany lobbying for high environmental standards
The Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) and the Germany Environment Agency (UBA) are campaigning for systematic environmental protection in deep sea mining. At an expert workshop event in Berlin, the two authorities made an appeal for a comprehensive assessment of both the chances and risks of future deep sea mining. read more
"Wounds" have healed – Water quality of mine lakes has good status
Many mine lakes have the potential to develop very good water quality and they are often cleaner than natural lakes. However, lignite remains the dirtiest of all sources of energy. In 2014 alone lignite caused environmental damage in the amount of 16.8 billion euros. A phase-out of lignite-fired electricity is urgently needed. read more
Heat pumps and the like: low-frequency hum annoys a growing number of people
Complaints about low-frequency noise – the so-called humming phenomenon – have risen sharply in recent years. A new guide by UBA provides advice on the ideal installation of heat pumps and the like. read more
Air quality 2016: Nitrogen dioxide still the top pollutant
The air in Germany’s cities continued to have excessive levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution in 2016. This is according to an evaluation of preliminary measurements made by the federal states and the German Environment Agency. The threshold value of 40 micrograms per cubic metre on a yearly average was exceeded at about 57 per cent of all the measuring stations located near major thoroughfares. read more
2015 greenhouse gas emissions indicate a slight decrease for second year in a row
Germany recorded total emissions of 901.9 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents for 2015, which is 2.3 million tonnes (0.3%) less than in 2014 and 27.9% less than in 1990. This data is based on calculations which the German Environment Agency (UBA) has reported to the European Commission. The greatest reductions were achieved in the energy industries (11.8 million tonnes). read more
